Leadership

Got a Younger Boss? You're Not Alone

By Jessica Stillman

Updated on: February 19, 2010 / 10:18 AM EST / MoneyWatch

Young workers take a lot of flack for being entitled and in need of constant hand-holding, so when a study comes along that shows that, despite all the bad press, younger generations are in fact climbing the career ladder, we here at Entry-Level Rebel trumpet the news from the rooftops. CareerBuilder has just released a poll of more than 5,000 workers that shows that more than four in ten workers over 35 currently work for someone younger than them.
Of course, reporting to someone younger can cause tension, and the the study also found that 13 percent of workers ages 35-44 found it difficult to take direction from a younger boss. Tensions eased as reports got older, though. Only 7 percent of workers ages 45-54 and five percent of workers ages 55 reported trouble with their youthful boss.

So what were the most common causes of inter-generational friction? The study found several common complaints about younger managers:

They act like they know more than me when they don't
They act like they're entitled and didn't earn their position
They micromanage
They play favorites with younger workers
They don't give me enough direction

Many of these issues sound like the symptoms of "new management syndrome" and could afflict an inexperienced manager of any age. Perhaps newbie managers could benefit from checking out our lessons for new managers. Meanwhile, aggrieved older employees might find Tammy Erickson's post on younger bosses and older direct reports helpful.

(Image of boss mug by Kumar Appaiah, CC 2.0)